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pencil drawing

The Depth of Colored Pencil I'll admit that in the past I have been guilty of thinking of colored pencil art as colorful and bright and not necessarily able to be coupled with serious subjects or moody narratives. But that was my own bias. As I've spent time looking at sketchbooks of draftsmen...

Sketch of a Man by John Singer Sargent, charcoal drawing. Adapted from an article by Mark G. Mitchell. Looking at a John Singer Sargent's drawings, I really can't mistake them for anything but the work of his hand. His line work is so thin, firm, and consistent, even in figure drawings full of...

The drama of this charcoal and pencil drawing by Lilian Wescott Hale is in the bold contrast of value of the figure's skin, dress, and hair. I love all kinds of art: super complicated installations, amazing marble sculptures, and virtuosic canvases filled with color and form. But when it comes down...

Dan Gheno, a New York-based artist and teacher, introduced me to the Pitt oil-base sanguine pencil, and it is my favorite material to draw pencil sketches with. I like it because it has a nice warm tone reminiscent of the marks in some Renaissance and Classical drawings and because it is waxy enough...

You’re out on location, enjoying a bit of plein air painting or sketching, then all of a sudden you realize you haven't the right color for an element in your composition. Nor will the colors you do have mix to produce it. You’ve two options, as I see it. (Well, three, if you include...

Recently, I was going through my files and rereading old correspondences. I found a letter from William Rose, the winner of a previous Drawing magazine cover competition. The events that came out of his winning the competition and having his work on the cover of the magazine (and, therefore, on newsstands...

I'm an artistic omnivore to be sure, but there is really nothing I love more and respond to more than pencil drawings. I know, the humble pencil and paper seems so simple, so basic. But what some forego and forget as too elementary, I see as essential. Yes, starting with beginner pencil drawing lessons...

Almost every artist I know who depicts people or creates portraits has spent time painting from photographs or drawing from them. It may not be how they develop a work foremost, but it is a useful method, especially when you want to capture a likeness and don't have the luxury of having your model...

I'm totally a sci-fi junkie and H.R. Giger is truly a master artist in the genre of fantastic realism. I first came across his work through his designs for Alien . Lately, with the release of Prometheus , his art came up on my radar again. Now, his work is...out there. His style is so unique that...

I can't speak for anyone else, but I sure enjoyed Drawing Day 2009 ! I went to Central Park with a friend, loaded down with drawing pencils, drawing sketchbooks, painting supplies, and Gatorade. Several scenes screamed out to be captured in a quick pencil sketch , but we kept walking through the...

People develop strong feelings about their pencils. I can never think of graphite pencils without thinking about Sherry Camhy , an intriguing artist and instructor in New York City who thinks and feels a lot about her pencils, even going so far as to name them . Her dedication pays off; Camhy coaxes...

Michael Mentler's pencil drawings from his sketchbook. David Jon Kassan, a friend and an excellent painter and draftsman here in NYC, recently sent me these words about an artist he met during his travels. Here are some images from the artist's notebook: These amazing ink gesture drawings are...

Careful use of darks and lights within and around the figure can give your drawings more power and dramatic force. by Dan Gheno Laocoön by Baccio Bandinelli, red and black chalk, 21 x 15¾. Collection the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Some draftsmen will do almost anything to create drama...